The impact of care recipient falls on caregivers

Objective. This study sought to explore the impact of care recipient falls on caregivers. Methods. Ninety-six community-dwelling caregiver-care recipient dyads participated in a 12-month prospective study. Falls and other accidents and service use were recorded. Dyads were assessed at baseline and a...

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Main Authors: Dow, Briony, Meyer, Claudia, Moore, Kirsten, Hill, Keith
Format: Journal Article
Published: CSIRO Publishing 2013
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/22289
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author Dow, Briony
Meyer, Claudia
Moore, Kirsten
Hill, Keith
author_facet Dow, Briony
Meyer, Claudia
Moore, Kirsten
Hill, Keith
author_sort Dow, Briony
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Objective. This study sought to explore the impact of care recipient falls on caregivers. Methods. Ninety-six community-dwelling caregiver-care recipient dyads participated in a 12-month prospective study. Falls and other accidents and service use were recorded. Dyads were assessed at baseline and after each fall. Assessment included the Zarit Burden Interview and a post-accident survey developed for the present study. Focus groups were then conducted to further explore the impact of falls on caregivers. Results. Fifty-four care recipients (56%) experienced falls within the 12 months of the study. There was a significant increase in caregiver burden after the first fall (Zarit Burden Interview score increased from 24.2 ± 14.2 to 27.6 ± 14.5, P < 0.01). Twenty-four percent of caregivers reported that they had altered their usual routine after the fall, mainly not wanting to leave the care recipient alone. However, there was no increase in the number of services used. Focus group discussions highlighted the need for constant vigilance of the care recipient, a lack of knowledge about support services and concerns related to utilising respite care. Conclusion. Falls among care recipients have a significant impact on carers, including an increased fear of falling, prompting the need for even closer vigilance.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-222892017-09-13T15:58:25Z The impact of care recipient falls on caregivers Dow, Briony Meyer, Claudia Moore, Kirsten Hill, Keith Objective. This study sought to explore the impact of care recipient falls on caregivers. Methods. Ninety-six community-dwelling caregiver-care recipient dyads participated in a 12-month prospective study. Falls and other accidents and service use were recorded. Dyads were assessed at baseline and after each fall. Assessment included the Zarit Burden Interview and a post-accident survey developed for the present study. Focus groups were then conducted to further explore the impact of falls on caregivers. Results. Fifty-four care recipients (56%) experienced falls within the 12 months of the study. There was a significant increase in caregiver burden after the first fall (Zarit Burden Interview score increased from 24.2 ± 14.2 to 27.6 ± 14.5, P < 0.01). Twenty-four percent of caregivers reported that they had altered their usual routine after the fall, mainly not wanting to leave the care recipient alone. However, there was no increase in the number of services used. Focus group discussions highlighted the need for constant vigilance of the care recipient, a lack of knowledge about support services and concerns related to utilising respite care. Conclusion. Falls among care recipients have a significant impact on carers, including an increased fear of falling, prompting the need for even closer vigilance. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/22289 10.1071/AH12168 CSIRO Publishing restricted
spellingShingle Dow, Briony
Meyer, Claudia
Moore, Kirsten
Hill, Keith
The impact of care recipient falls on caregivers
title The impact of care recipient falls on caregivers
title_full The impact of care recipient falls on caregivers
title_fullStr The impact of care recipient falls on caregivers
title_full_unstemmed The impact of care recipient falls on caregivers
title_short The impact of care recipient falls on caregivers
title_sort impact of care recipient falls on caregivers
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/22289